Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Marvin Gaye - Wherever I Lay My Hat Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Em, D, C, A, Bm, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

GEmGEm
BytheGlookinyoureyeIcanEmtellyou’regonnacry,isitGoverme?
DIfitGissaveyourtearsforEmI’mnotGworthit,yousee.
DohohohCI’mthekindofguywhoisalwaysontheEmroam,
AWhereverILayMyDHat
That’sMyGHome,Emyeah,GyeahEm
YouGhadaromance,didyouEmbreakitbychanceGoverme?
DIfit’sGsoI’dlikeforyoutoknowthatEmI’mnotGworthit,yousee.
DForCI’mthetypeofguywhoisalwaysEmontheroam,yeah
AWhereverILayMyDHat
That’sMyGHome,Emyeah
CYoukeeptellingyourfriendsthatBmI’myourman.
EmWhatdoIhavetodotoDmakeyou D7understand?
GI’mthekindofguythatEmgivesthegirlstheeye Geverybodyknows.
DIGlove‘emandIleave‘em,
breaktheirEmheartsanddeceivethem,GeverywhereIgo.
DOhCI’mthetypeofguywhoisalwaysEmontheroam,yeah,yeah
AWhereverILayMyDHat
That’sMyGHome,Emyeah
GThat’smyhome
EmLaLaLaLaLooooGohohoh,that’smyhome
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistMarvin Gaye
AlbumNo Parlez
GenresSoul
Year1983
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Wherever I Lay My Hat on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Marvin Gaye - Wherever I Lay My Hat on guitar requires 7 chords and 11 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↑↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Wherever I Lay My Hat uses these transitions most often: G → Em (13), Em → G (12), and D → G (6). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with G - Em chord transition.

1. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from G to Em:

  1. While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

G to Em

2. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Switching from G to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

G to D

3. D → C chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from D to C:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

D to C

4. C → Em chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to Em:

  1. While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

C to Em

5. Em → A chord transition

To move from Em to A:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. A → D chord transition

Switching from A to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

7. C → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Bm:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the verse.

8. Bm → Em chord transition

To move from Bm to Em:

  1. While playing Bm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on D string from fret 4 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

9. Em → D chord transition

To move from Em to D:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

10. D → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D to D7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

11. D7 → G chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

Wherever I Lay My Hat chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Wherever I Lay My Hat.

  • Wherever I Lay My Hat includes 55 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Wherever I Lay My Hat contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Wherever I Lay My Hat connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Em: 9%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.